Leave Out All the Rest
by HeatherL
Summary: CH 1-5 REVISED 11/12-13/2012 Hermione is sent back in time into her younger body with knowledge of her previous lifetime. Will she be able to help Harry set things right and save Draco in this lifetime? HG/DM SPOILERS DH Epilogue, AU, Time Travel.
1. Prologue or Post Epilogue

**DISCLAIMER: **This story is based on characters and events from one of my favourite authors, the great J.K. Rowling. In addition, numerous unnamed stories have likely influenced my work as I have read hundreds in this fandom over the past five years. I will give credit for the occasional, obvious homage.

**NOTE:** This first chapter is shorter than I plan to make the rest; I have the story mapped out into 9 parts for a minimum of 33 chapters and it could double at the most. I will update this story as often as I can but my life can be busy at times. You can view my LJ for updates; the link is on my author page.

**EDIT:** This revision was done November of 2012. For now, it will only be on , which is easier to submit to than the other sites that require excellent beta work. I'm operating without a beta for now. I decided to solidify my foundation, so hopefully I'll feel confident moving this story forward. I've thrown myself back into this story to alleviate my frustrations as a first year in my MFA program.

Chapter 1: Prologue or Post Epilogue

Hermione Granger-Weasley looked out the car's passenger window as the sights of London passed her by in a blur. She let her eyes close as she pondered her dream from the previous night. There were many body parts and a lot of passion, but she knew the man in her dreams was not her husband.

Ron, her husband, pulled the car up in front of their house in the suburbs of London. Since they left Kings Cross, Hugo, their son, sat in the back seat talking non-stop about the day when he'd finally be going to Hogwarts. She had to tune him out after a few minutes. Ron was responsive enough to satisfy Hugo with interjections of "That's my boy," which he emphasized with a thump on the steering wheel.

Saying goodbye to Rose earlier was difficult enough. The last thing Hermione wanted to think about was both of her kids being at Hogwarts, because that'd mean it would only be her and Ron left in a big empty house. With a sigh, Hermione got out of the car and walked towards her front door.

"Smile 'Mione… Nev'll floo call us soon to say that we've got another Gryffindor in the family," Ron said as he opened the front door and guided her inside.

As she walked into the house, she turned towards both men. "Will you two be able to get by for two hours while I work on a spell for my latest client? The delivery date is next week and there is still so much for me to do. I am so worried that I won't make my deadline with everything that is going on right now."

Hugo nodded, "Yeah, sure, mom. Maybe dad can take us to Uncle Harry's so I can hang out with Lily and some of her cousins that are visiting?"

"That sounds good," she looked at Ron, "Do you mind honey? Maybe Harry would like to hear more about your driving test…"

Minutes later, Hermione sank down into her overstuffed 'thinking chair' in her office. The house was peacefully quiet and she knew she just needed a few minutes to think before she could get to work.

_My mysterious client wants a spell that will work in the way time turners used to. I still can't believe the Unspeakables haven't replaced the time turners after twenty some years. But I'm getting off topic… Right, I have the runes for the wand movements done; I just need to decide which is best "Tempus EGO Votum" or "Tempus EGO Necessitas". The Arithmancy works best for the first which means "time I desire" but I prefer the second which means "time I need" it just seems better._

"Ah, the hell with it, I just need to experiment with both," Hermione said as she stood up and prepared to cast the first spell. She took a deep breath, thought she needed to be transported back to the moment they got home, as it would allow her enough time to avoid her past self. "Tempus EGO Necessitas", she recited as she executed the wand movement, which was quickly followed by her exclaiming "Oh Shit!" She felt as though she was being squeezed around her middle as her conscious started to close in around her. She knew something was wrong. Thoughts of everyone she loved filled her mind, she pictured those who had died and thought _'I'll be seeing them again soon_._'_


	2. What Just Happened?

**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and events from one of my favourite authors, the great J.K. Rowling.

**NOTE:** As always, you can view my LJ for updates; the link is on my author page.

**EDIT:** This revision was done November of 2012. For now, it will only be on , which is easier to submit to than the other sites that require excellent beta work. I'm operating without a beta for now. I decided to solidify my foundation, so hopefully I'll feel confident moving this story forward. I've thrown myself back into this story to alleviate my frustrations as a first year in my MFA program.

Chapter 2: What the Hell Just Happened?

Hermione wasn't sure about anything because she had no clue where she was or if she was still alive. Everything seemed to stop existing and there was no sense of time wherever she was. Not until, she became aware of what she could only classify as strange sensory input. As everything became more intense around her, she began to feel suffocated and tried to yell out. Finally, she heard herself crying uncontrollably and someone started to soothe her.

The next thing Hermione was aware of was her dream of Rose and Hugo; as she tried to reach out to them, she started waking up. Still very confused, she tried to look around her and found herself to be in an odd environment where everything looked big.

"Hermione Jean Granger," a voice cooed.

_Yes, that's me but nobody has called me that in years… wait, I'm not speaking aloud am I? Why is that? I seem to be aware of the world around me but I can't get any words out!_

"Oh honey, she has your eyes… and she is absolutely beautiful," another voice said.

"Daniel, are you sure you're okay with her middle name being my mother's name?"

"Yes, Sophie, I've told you many times that I am happy with her name."

_Daniel…Sophie? Why the bloody hell are these people talking like they're my parents? My parents died six years ago… NO! It can't be… can it? I was working on a time reversal spell… and I did think of everyone who had died. OH MY GOD! I was just born, which means I went back almost 38 years into the past._

"Oh Sophie, I got here as fast as I could," a new voice said. It belonged to the man who had just walked into the room and up to the hospital bed where he gave Sophie a kiss on the forehead. "What did you decide to name her?"

"Hi dad… we named her Hermione Jean." Sophie's eyes misted over as she said this.

"Samuel, do you want to hold her?" Daniel shifted Hermione preparing to pass her to her grandfather.

"I'd like to very much," Samuel responded as he wiped a tear from his eye, before taking Hermione from Daniel. "She is perfect… and I miss Jean so much," he said looking into Hermione's eyes.

_Grandpa Samuel? I've only heard stories about you because you died the day after I was born from a heart attack. I thought of you when I thought I was going to die from that spell. However, it took me to the time I needed to be at in order to meet you! So, it worked, my spell worked! I've also have a problem because it is going to be years before I can get my hands on a wand. Oh, this is just fucking perfect! I am helpless and… my kids… they don't even exist anymore. I don't even have a guarantee that they can be born again._

With that last thought, Hermione Jean Granger started to cry.

It took Hermione a few days to come to grips with her new reality. She considered herself to be grieving for her children but she eventually decided she needed to look at the bright side of things.

_Although very risky, there are a few things I can try to improve this time around. It makes sense, because my knowledge alone guarantees that things won't turn out exactly the same way. If I'm lucky, I can start saying double syllable words in 3-4 months, full words in 6-9 months, and sentences in 12-15 months. By one and a half to two years old, I'll be able to communicate and control my body. Hopefully I can start to control my basic wandless magic by the time I'm three and do spells by the time I'm four. I'll also have to work on Legilimency and Occlumency; the first to make sure people don't suspect anything with me and the second in case I encounter a Legilimens. I'll allow myself the next three months to plan what I want to change as it will take me longer because I can't take any notes. I can't wait to work on my penmanship._


	3. An Organized Mind

**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and events from one of my favourite authors, the great J.K. Rowling.

**NOTE**: I wanted to give you an idea of where this story is heading; just remember things don't always happen according to plan. As always, you can view my LJ for updates, the link is on my author page.

**EDIT:** This revision was done November of 2012. For now, it will only be on , which is easier to submit to than the other sites that require excellent beta work. I'm operating without a beta for now. I decided to solidify my foundation, so hopefully I'll feel confident moving this story forward. I've thrown myself back into this story to alleviate my frustrations as a first year in my MFA program.

Chapter 3: An Organized Mind

After three months of thinking during the majority of her waking hours, Hermione finalized the plan she had conceived within hours of leaving the hospital after her birth. Every day Hermione would go over her plan in order to be confident that she would remember every bit in her thoroughly organized mind. She had gone so far as to create a routine for when she was left alone; she would practice speaking and building up her muscles. She wanted to be the youngest kid ever to walk.

During this period, she was also able to observe her mother's depression due to her mother losing her last living parent. Hermione began to understand why she was never close with her parents; the grief had prevented any significant bonding between her and her parents. Sure, her parents provided for her and helped her fulfil her most basic needs but other than that, they regarded her as an adult who had the capacity to entertain herself, which fortunately she did this time around.

_All right, another day, another meal, and another odd period of us being near each other without communicating. I guess I'll play around with these blocks in order to look like a normal kid while I review my plan…_

_Most importantly, I must be careful with how I conduct myself; people must not suspect that there is something wrong with me. I'll be the brightest witch of my generation yet again, but I'll probably have to pretend to be a seer if I ever accidently let something slip about the future. I can be considered a little loony like Luna Lovegood for just having a sense of what is going to happen but I won't be rambling on about stupid creatures that most people don't believe in. Secondly, I have to work on my attitude because young kids aren't supposed to be bitter or jaded. Since my mind is intact, I'm sure Occlumency will still come naturally and I'll be a Legilimens once my magic increases. I'll have to continue to work on fake memories in case anyone wants to see my thoughts and I'll monitor thoughts of those around me to ensure they buy my act._

_Moving on… the most important things to change are the deaths, which include Sirius, Dumbledore, Lupin, Tonks, Dobby, Professor Snape, and more. Many changes will have to happen in fifth year, which makes sixth and seventh impossible to plan for now. I have to get in contact with Harry and then Ron before school; I can just say I wished to see someone like me, and 'poof' I was there. Of course, I need Harry with me when we meet Ron, as he'll be star struck and be eager to befriend us. Once friends with Ron, I can try to mould him into a better man._

_The first real change will need to be Harry's first meeting with Draco Malfoy. I'll have to get Harry to learn Occlumency before I can let him in on my secret. I know he'll wonder about the things I say and do. In addition, it will be a great relief when I can finally share my secret with someone and who better than my unofficial brother. I hope that he won't be so damaged if I can become his friend at an earlier age; I will need to find a soft way of breaking the news to him about his parents. But I think those words will have to come from the heart at the right moments. I'll try to find a way to prevent the zoo incident from happening on Dudley's birthday, and a few weeks later make sure Harry receives his letter so that we can go to Diagon Alley together._

_First year, we will have to take care of the troll on Halloween, but at least the three of us will be friends by then. In early June, we will have to get that bloody stone; I'll be better at chess this time and I will have extra potions ready. Oh, I can't forget about Nobert; we'll need Charlie and his friends to take him off Hagrid's hands. That summer we'll have to make sure Dobby doesn't get Harry into trouble, if we can. Unfortunately, I can't see any way around Ginny being the one to open the Chamber of Secrets. I'll make sure Harry saves her, as they said for years that was when they started to develop feelings for one another._

_For third year, I need to get Harry away from his house on his birthday so he doesn't blow up his Aunt, and I'll make sure he knows about Sirius by then. I absolutely hate letting Wormtail get away this year but he needs to bring Voldemort back and owe Harry a life debt, just in case. I'll be prepared for Lupin's change as we get out of the Whomping Willow. At the World Cup, I'll make sure Harry isn't left behind. Harry will need to participate in the Triwizard Tournament, but Cedric Diggory won't die this time. I'll train Harry myself to make sure he gets out of there._

_That takes me to fifth year; I'll get warnings to the Order in time to prevent attacks. We'll recreate the DA, but give it a different name this time. We need the fight at the ministry to happen in order for everyone to know that Voldemort is back; I just need to find a way to prevent Sirius or anyone else from dying on our side. There will be Horcruxes to destroy, final battle preparations, and I'll make sure Dumbledore isn't injured by the ring so that he isn't ready to die by Professor Snape's hand. I hope that we can get Draco and his mom into hiding before their lives can be threatened… All right, now I need to get some exercise._

Thank you for reading and I especially want to thank **snow fox2000** for being my first Reviewer.

Finally, I'd really appreciate it if you would now leave a review; even a short one is fine with me.


	4. Taking the First Steps

**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and events from one of my favourite authors, the great J.K. Rowling.

**NOTE** Finally, I've achieved the desired length in this chapter. It is over 10 pages in Word. As always, you can view my LJ for updates, the link is on my author page.

**EDIT:** This revision was done November of 2012. For now, it will only be on , which is easier to submit to than the other sites that require excellent beta work. I'm operating without a beta for now. I decided to solidify my foundation, so hopefully I'll feel confident moving this story forward. I've thrown myself back into this story to alleviate my frustrations as a first year in my MFA program.

Chapter 4: Taking the First Steps

For over eight years, Hermione Granger had a plan to live by; she was a happy and confident child because she knew what her future would hold. She never made friends in school because she saw no reason to do so; however, she was never taunted nor teased by her peers about her lack of friends due to her uncanny ability to say just the right thing to put a person at ease. For the new school year, her parents decided that she could be home alone for a few hours after school until they got home from their office. They incorrectly assumed the time would be used to study and read, as they thought those were their eight-year-old daughter's favourite hobbies.

Her secret hobby was the reason that today, she needed to go to Little Whinging, where she needed to meet a young raven-haired boy with a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. She could have done so years ago, but reasoned that someone might notice she wasn't where she needed to be. This school year was the first time she had an unsupervised period where no one would notice her 'popping' out for a few hours. She had no reason not to go: her wandless magic skills were exceptional and she had successfully managed to apparate short distances.

"Come on, I can do this, it is only a half hour drive from here. I can do this. I just need to be determined." Hermione said to herself as she paced the living room. "I am not nervous…so what if this is essential to the rest of my plan? I need to be a Gryffindor and just do it before I chicken out." Summoning her Gryffindor resolve, she quickly cast a disillusionment spell on herself, focused her mind on the alley where dementors once attacked Harry and his cousin, and turned on the spot to disapparate.

As expected, the alley was empty. Hermione took a small pencil out of her pocket and used a modified charm to point her in Harry's direction. After a few minutes of walking in the directing of the pencil, she reached a park where a few kids were playing; the pencil pointed to a tree in the far corner of the park that had no kids in sight. As she circled the tree, she found Harry sitting with his back to the tree trunk. After removing the disillusionment spell, she said, "Hi there."

Harry turned to look at her with look of dread before finally saying, "Uh… hullo."

Not knowing what else to do, she walked up to him, stuck her hand out to shake hands and introduced herself, "I'm Hermione Granger… do you mind if I take a seat?"

Harry simply looked at her extended hand before asking, "What are you doing?"

Hermione lowered her hand as she realized that she might have to take a different tact. She sat down in front of Harry while allowing enough space between them to not scare the boy. "I guess you're not one to make friends often either. See, you were supposed to shake my hand like adults do and tell me your name."

"Are you daft? First, I've never seen kids shake each others' hands. Second, everyone know not to talk to me because my cousin will beat them up if they do." Harry responded in an irritated tone.

Hermione sighed. "Will you at least tell me your name so we can get this introduction over with?"

Harry looked at her critically before nodding to himself, "I'm Harry… Harry Potter."

"It's nice to meet you Harry. I'm not concerned about your cousin since I don't live nearby… I kind of just popped over to try and meet someone I could get along with," she said.

"Oh? Where do you live?"

"On Clarence Crescent… it's not too far from the castle."

He looked puzzled. "What Castle?"

"You do know Windsor Castle, do you not?"

"Oh yeah, but it's a ways from here. Who brought you over?" He asked as he looked around.

She shrugged, "I did. I was home alone, feeling lonely and I wanted to meet someone like me who was just as lonely. I guess I thought it hard enough that it just happened, like magic, I was suddenly here... Do you ever have things like that happen? For example, some think I'm weird just because odd things happen when I lose my temper."

"Um… yeah, I guess. That's when my uncle locks me under the stairs," Harry said with a sad smirk.

Hermione already felt her dislike for Vernon rising as she felt bad for not trying to befriend Harry earlier. "That's terrible, but he doesn't keep you there long does he?"

Harry thought for a second. "Usually only a few days, but a few times it's been over a week."

Hermione couldn't prevent the tears that fell down her cheeks as she lunged forward and enveloped Harry in a comforting hug. She started sobbing as she said, "I'm so sorry Harry. I'm so sorry."

For a good minute, Harry was too shocked to react. Finally, he hugged her back and tried to soothe her crying. When she calmed down, he asked, "Are you alright, er… Hermione?"

Hermione slowly pulled away, nodded, and smiled at him. "I'm fine, it's your Uncle Vernon that upsets me. You can call me 'Mione if it's easier for you."

Harry's eyebrows came together. "I never said my Uncle's name was Vernon…"

Hermione's eyes went wide. "Oh really? I guess I was just being psychic again. I could picture him yelling at you and throwing you in your room, if you can call it that, and locking the door." Harry looked sceptical. She knew he was thinking something odd was going on, so Hermione continued, "See, this is why I don't have friends from school. Please don't be scared. Maybe I can tell you something that you would like to know?"

"All right," Harry responded in a wary manner. "Can you tell me something about this scar on my forehead?"

Hermione thought hard before replying, "It is a symbol of your mother's love; someday you will fully understand the connection. It is also the mark by which many will identify you with in the future."

Harry was drawn in by the mention of his mother and had unconsciously raised his hand to rub the scar. "We shall see if that comes true in the future."

Hermione hid her smile, she knew she had earned Harry's acceptance. She steered the conversation for them to get to know each other. Before she knew it, she had to go home. Looking around, she noticed no one in sight and decided to take a risk to ensnare Harry's interest. "Do you wanna see something wicked?" Hermione asked Harry.

"Sure," he replied.

"All right, but first promise to meet me at this tree after school tomorrow."

"All right, I promise."

"OK, I'll see you tomorrow," and with that she turned on the spot and disapparated home.

The next day, Harry was at their tree when Hermione appeared. He immediately asked, "How did you do that?"

"It's simple, you wanna see?" Hermione asked with glee.

"Sure."

Hermione grabbed Harry's arm securely, noting how thin it was, before closing her eyes to concentrate on her home kitchen, and then apparated them both successfully there. A second after they arrived, Hermione let go and walked to the fridge before asking, "What do you want to eat? I can cook a lot of different stuff… by the way, we are at my home in Windsor now."

That was the beginning of their new after school routine. She would apparate to their tree and take him to her home to feed him and hang out until she took him back just in time to get ready for her parents' nightly arrival. During school breaks the only change was that, they'd meet after her parents left for work. This routine continued for almost three years, in which Hermione got Harry a little healthier and increased his interest in school and reading. An additional benefit was that the Dursleys grew accustomed to Harry not being present after he prepared their breakfast, he would return home just in time to go to bed.

One afternoon in July 1991, while Hermione and Harry were alone at her home, there was a knock at the door. Hermione looked out to see Professor McGonagall dressed in a tartan suit. Under her breath, Hermione said, "Oh no, I completely forgot today was the day she delivered my letter and arranged to meet my parents." Quickly, Hermione slid her Occlumency shields in place and looked back at Harry with a smile before opening the door. "Hello."

"Good afternoon, Miss Granger, may I have a moment of your time to speak with you about a school you might be interested in attending this fall?" McGonagall purred.

"Yes, please come in." Hermione stepped back to allow entrance, "My parents are currently working." She closed the door after McGonagall walked in, "Please have a seat… I'd like to introduce you to my friend, Harry Potter."

McGonagall did a double take at Harry and her eyes focused directly on the scar on his forehead. Regaining her composure, she said, "It is a pleasure to meet you both. I'm Professor McGonagall from Hogwarts, a secondary school up north. We have a list of eligible students whom we'd like to attend as they are exceptionally gifted, and you, Miss Granger, are on that list." After a pause she looked at Harry again, "I'm sorry did Miss Granger say your name was Harry Potter?"

Harry looked taken aback, "Y-yes, it is."

"Do you live with your Aunt and Uncle, The Dursleys?" McGonagall questioned.

"How do you know that? Are you another psychic?"

"I am no psychic, Mr. Potter." McGonagall's tone was curt. "It is simply a strange coincidence that you two happen to be friends as you're on our list of exceptionally gifted students, as well."

Harry grinned, "Really, you want me at your school? I'd love to go, especially if Hermione is going to be there."

"Well, I need to meet with her parents before I can hand over her letter. When would be best to meet with them?"

Hermione looked at the time. "They'll be home in about 90 minutes. They work 6 days a week from 8 in the morning to 6 at night. If you are able to stay that long, it'd be perfect. Perhaps you could tell us more about this school?"

"Well, I'm sure Mr. Potter knows about it since his parents went there," McGonagall paused for confirmation.

"What? How did you know about my parents? All I know is that they died in a car accident when I was a year old." Harry's mixed emotions were evident.

"Did your Aunt and Uncle tell you that lie? I told Dumbledore not to trust those muggles." McGonagall was in a huff, she gathered herself and adopted a more caring tone. "Harry, dear… your parents were killed by an evil man, who was killed when he tried to kill you. That is what caused the scar on your forehead."

Harry sank back on the sofa, "Oh, I see…"

Hermione timidly spoke up. "Professor, when are you going to deliver Harry's letter?"

"It will be delivered by post of course, since his Aunt is aware of the school."

Hermione frowned. "Professor, do you think someone could deliver it in person? From what I know, Harry's Aunt and Uncle don't treat him well. Often, the only meals he gets are here, and they make him live under the stairs. I doubt they'd even take him to buy school supplies because he only receives hand me downs from his cousin."

In a sudden burst of anger, McGonagall stood up. "You two stay right here, I am going to fetch the Headmaster and we will be back within 20 minutes tops." With a 'pop', she was gone.

Harry and Hermione stared at each other. Hermione was bursting with hope inside, but fear was clearly on Harry's face. Harry finally said, "I guess we know what kind of school it is. She just did what you do to travel from place to place."

"I know… can you believe it? A school for special people like us! I have a feeling I'm going to have to introduce you to my parents tonight. Maybe they'll let you stay in the guest room until school starts. It's only five or six weeks away. Oh, we should go shopping on your birthday!" Hermione said with glee.

Soon, Dumbledore and McGonagall popped into in the living room. "Minerva, I understand you're upset but it is no reason to forgo manners. Miss Granger, I do apologize for dropping in like so. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye. They both moved to sit and discuss matters with the two children. "I have been informed that someone needs to discuss Mr. Potter's enrolment at Hogwarts with his relatives.

Hermione quickly replied, "Yes, Headmaster, I believe it is best. Before you arrived, I also mentioned to Harry that I'd ask my parents if he could stay here until the start of the school year."

"Very well, Mr. Potter and I will go speak with his family." Standing up and gesturing at Harry to stand as well, Dumbledore looked directly at Harry. "Before I forget, here is your letter; it was your parents' wish that you attend and there is no question that you are attending, my boy." The two men disappeared with a 'pop'.

After a minute of silence, in which both women gathered their thoughts, Hermione's parents walked in. They soon stopped in their tracks upon noticing McGonagall. Sophie stepped forward. "Hermione, I didn't know we were going to have company. Will you introduce us to your guest?"

"Hi mum, hi dad. This is Professor McGonagall. She is from a school for the gifted, and they want me to attend." Hermione said with a smile.

The Drs. Granger sat down their things and took a seat near Hermione. "We are very proud of our Hermione. She is exceptionally bright for her age." Sophie said before offering to make tea, which McGonagall accepted.

Forty-five minutes later, Hermione's parents had agreed to let her attend the school and McGonagall was explaining the particulars when there was a knock at the door. Hermione quickly got up to answer it. "Headmaster, Harry; I'm glad to see that you've both returned. Come in! My parents have agreed to let me go!" Hermione led the men into the seating area while saying, "Mum, dad, this is the Headmaster of the school, and this is my friend Harry who will be attending as well." Daniel got up to shake hands with both men and exchanged pleasantries before every one was once again seated.

Dumbledore spoke first, "Harry's family finally agreed to allow him to attend. However, they asked that he leave immediately and not return until the end of the school year at the earliest."

Hermione, with her timid voice said, "Mum, dad, can Harry stay here until school starts? He's come over after school every day for the past three years. The reason we went through so much food is that I was cooking for him. We do have that guest room that is never used, and it isn't like it'll cost you anymore than you already spend."

Hermione's parents exchanged glances before Sophie said, "Of course Hermione, we are so happy to learn that you actually have a friend. We'd feared that you were unable to socialize well." That statement caused Hermione to blush and Harry to smile.

"Very well then, I'm sure we've taken up more than enough of your evening. Just remember to buy the items on your list and be at Kings Cross, platform nine and three quarters before eleven in the morning on 1 September." Dumbledore reminded them before he and McGonagall left.

The day before Harry and Hermione planned to go to Diagon Alley, Hermione finally decided to tell Harry about her 'prediction' concerning his meeting of Draco Malfoy. Once again using her timid voice, Hermione said, "Harry, you know how I sometimes know what is going to happen?"

"Let me guess, you've got something new?" Harry replied with a knowing smile.

"Yeah," she paused and decided to just say it outright. "When you're getting fitted for your uniform, you're going to meet this kid who's our age. He has very light blond hair, a pointed face, and grey eyes. If you don't get along, he could become a great enemy at school."

"All right, what should I do?"

"When he asks about your background, can you tell him you come from a wizarding family, but you were raised by muggles? Make sure to add that your best friend is muggle born and will be attending Hogwarts."

"All right, don't worry… I'll make friends with him." Harry promised before they both agreed to get to bed early in order to have the whole day to shop.

The morning of Harry's birthday, they both were up and ready for the day early. As soon as Hermione's parents left for work, she apparated Harry and herself to a dark corner in the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione was eager to begin when she realized that a wand was needed to get into the Alley. She walked up to the barkeep and politely asked, "Excuse me sir, we are here to shop for the school year but don't know anyone with a wand who can open the alley. Can you help us out?" The barkeep turned to a frequent customer whom he ordered to 'help the kids out'.

As they walked into the alley, Hermione reminded, "We need to go to the bank first, and then you'll get your uniforms while I make a quick stop. Do you have it Harry?"

He merely grunted in reply, as he was awestruck by the sight before him.

In the bank, they waited in line until a goblin was available who asked how he could help them. Hermione was just about to talk when Harry took a key on a chain from around his neck and handed it over to the goblin. A few minutes later, they were in a cart speeding downward as Hermione screamed, "I hate these carts!"

In his vault, Harry had two pouches filled with more than enough gold for the school year in each. When he handed one to Hermione, he said, "After everything you've done for me, allow me to give you this as a small token of appreciation, and don't protest." There was an emphasis on the last two words. All Hermione could do was nod because she desperately wanted to protest, especially since she had not been given a chance to convert her money.

Hermione walked Harry to the dress shop and told him that she'd meet him back there within a few minutes. After he walked in, she disillusioned and silenced herself before following him inside. She had to watch the conversation Harry would have with Draco Malfoy. She found Harry and Draco in the same room. Harry walked over to Draco and extended his hand as he proudly said, "Hi, I'm Harry Potter…"

Draco stared at Harry in shock for a moment before accepting the handshake and replying, "I'm Draco Malfoy, and it is a pleasure to meet you." Hermione was thankful for the silencing charm, as she could not hold back her laugh at Draco's initial reaction. She watched the boys start a friendly conversation before deciding to go pick up two old friends.

When Hermione walked back into the dress shop with two pet cages, she heard Harry say, "Ah, here she is now."

"Hi Harry, I bought you a birthday present, her name is Hedwig. Isn't she beautiful?" Hermione asked as she went to hand the cage over.

Harry looked at the owl up close, "I agree." He gave Hermione a hug. As he pulled away, he said, "I want you to meet Draco Malfoy, who is starting Hogwarts with us this year.

Draco walked up to Hermione, took her hand, and kissed it like the aristocratic gentleman that he was, "It is a pleasure to meet you." Draco let go of her hand and looked deeply into her eyes aa he continued, "Harry and I were just talking about our plans for the day. We have finished up here, so why don't we wait for you to get fitted and then we can continue our shopping together."

"Uh, alright," Hermione managed to say as she found herself handing over Crookshanks' cage to Malfoy and then walking over to the fitting area.

The trio purchased their wands together before deciding to get lunch, it had taken Harry a long time to find the right wand after trying just about every wand in the store. He was surprised that Hermione was able to guide Mr. Ollivander towards her wand within 15 minutes, and Draco, who after trying a few, picked out a box at random and had found his wand.

Their conversation at lunch flowed easily. Draco explained what he knew of the school and Hermione asked informed questions. Harry answered Draco's questions about his family but tried to tell Draco more about Hermione's talents than about himself. Draco was surprised that they had been friends for three years when they lived in the muggle world and their homes were not near each other. Harry then turned the conversation onto Draco's family, which was the first topic that Draco could not discuss easily.

"Well, my mother and I are close. She is the only reason that I am attending Hogwarts; she could not stand for me to be too far away for that long." After a long pause, "I used to look up to my father but we were never close…Suddenly, he wants to be a part of my life… yet, I don't think I can ever become the kind of person that would make him proud of me." After a sigh, he slipped his characteristic smirk back onto his face before he cheerfully suggested they go buy their books. The waiter appeared at that moment to inform them, that the bill was taken care of by the owner who was proud to have such famous clientele.

As they were nearing the bookstore, Draco suddenly announced, "You two go ahead, I have to speak with my father quickly, and then I will meet you in the store."

Harry and Hermione proceeded into the store alone before Harry commented, "You may have been right about meeting him, but I can't see how we could have become enemies."

Hermione shrugged, "Perhaps in another lifetime, but I think we'll be friends in this one." Before thinking to herself, _Believe me that was the last thing I was expecting. I suppose this was a period when Draco had to make a choice about his future. Well, hopefully Harry and I made that choice easier for him. Now we just have to try and keep Malfoy out of Slytherin._

"Slytherin is an interesting character." Draco's statement startled Hermione out of her thoughts.

She asked, "Why do you say so?"

He chuckled. "Well you were looking at that biography on him rather intently."

"Oh, well… my mind must have been elsewhere," she said as she looked back at him. "I was wondering how Harry and I are going to manage taking everything back to my house in Windsor."

Draco waved off her concern, "That's simple… my father didn't want to wait any longer for me, so he apparated off somewhere, leaving behind our chauffer to take me home. Windsor isn't out of the way considering I live in Wiltshire. Therefore, you and Harry can go with me"

"Thank you, Draco, you are very kind," Hermione said with a sincere smile.

When they paid for their books, Draco pulled out a drawstring pouch that he used to store their combined purchases in. It obviously had spells similar to Hermione's purse in seventh year. Draco's assistance came as a great relief to Harry and Hermione who each had a pet cage to carry as it was. Later that afternoon, they arrived at Hermione's house and she suggested Draco come in so they could sort out their purchases easily before her parents arrived home. However, Draco soon left them with instructions that they both be ready to leave at 10 am, 1 September because he would pick them up with the same chauffeured car.

**Thank you for reading. Please review.**


	5. History: At Hogwarts

**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and events from one of my favourite authors, the great J.K. Rowling.

**NOTE:** Wow, this chapter is 16 pages; I hope you enjoy it, as I have to focus on other projects for a few days. We are now in part two of this nine-part story; parts two through eight each cover a school year. As always, you can view my LJ for updates, the link is on my author page.

**EDIT:** This revision was done November of 2012. For now, it will only be on , which is easier to submit to than the other sites that require excellent beta work. I'm operating without a beta for now. I decided to solidify my foundation, so hopefully I'll feel confident moving this story forward. I've thrown myself back into this story to alleviate my frustrations as a first year in my MFA program.

Chapter 5: History: At Hogwarts

As Hermione closed the door after Draco's departure, she noted that her emotions were a mix of shock, elation, and pure giddiness. _I feel just like I did at the Yule Ball in fourth year with Viktor… Well, at least how I felt until Ron ruined it. Oh, shit! I completely forgot about Ron. I'll have to figure that out later because I need to be in the moment right now._

She cleared her throat before turning to face Harry. "So, Harry," she started, "did you have a good day today?"

With a huge smile, he answered, "It was amazing 'Mione, the best birthday yet!" He walked up to her to give her a big hug before retracing what he said. "I mean, the last few years when you baked me a birthday cake were amazing as well since my birthday was hardly celebrated before that; the gifts I received from my family were worse that getting nothing." He paused to collect his thoughts, "But, today… being able to go out and find out I'm rich for one thing was beyond belief. And us making friends with Draco was great as well. I can't believe we got a free meal just because he is some celebrity," he trailed off.

"Well, Harry, I don't think the owner meant Draco; sure he comes from one of the top pureblood families, but I think the owner meant you. Didn't you hear people say 'the boy who lived' as they walked by us?"

"Yeah, I assumed they were talking about Draco" Harry said in a questioning manner.

"Harry, look," Hermione said as she dragged him towards to sofa to sit down. "Remember the day we met, I told you that people would identify you by the scar on your forehead?" He nodded, so she continued, "Well, the guy who gave it to you was such a terrible person that people refused to speak his name. And then, when he used a spell to kill you, it rebounded onto him because your mother's love was able to protect you. So everyone held you up as their saviour and began calling you 'the boy who lived' because no one else ever survived that spell, before or since."

All Harry could do was nod dumbly, so Hermione gave him a hug, which he returned. He finally let go, cleared his throat and said, "Well, I should start taking these things to my room, and set up an area for Hedwig."

Hermione decided it was best to give Harry some space, so after he got everything into his room, she started taking her things into hers and let Crookshanks out of his cage. She promised to get him some food and told him to stay in her room until her parents knew about him. The cat looked at her and then nodded. As she was walking back down the stairs, she heard her parents arrive home and decided this would be the best time to talk with them.

"Hi mum, hi dad, do you two have a moment to talk?" Hermione asked with an innocent smile.

"Sure 'Mione," Daniel said.

Sophie added, "We were actually hoping to talk with you and Harry about buying your school things."

"Oh you don't have to worry about that, the Headmaster gave Harry a key to his family's bank vault when he was here. So, we went today, and Harry bought all my supplies as a way to show how thankful he is to be staying here."

The Grangers chorused that Harry didn't need to do that and he was such a sweet boy.

Hermione continued, "Well, what I actually wanted to talk to you about was that he and I each got a pet as we are allowed to have one at school. He has an owl, which is what is used to send posts in this community and I got a cat who no one had wanted; you know me and wanting to help those that I can. It's just like Harry, I see him as the younger brother I never had."

"All right sweetie," Daniel patted Hermione on her head before saying, "Whatever makes our only daughter happy. I think it is agreed that Harry is now an unofficial adopted member of this family. We are just so proud that you are such a bright, caring, and independent girl at your age."

"Thank you, daddy," Hermione hugged her father, "Oh, and I wanted to let you know that Harry and I already have a ride to the train station on 1 September, so you and mom can go to church as we are leaving here at ten."

Hermione decided it was time to check in on Harry so she went up to his room and knocked on the door. He greeted her with a smile but she could tell by his reddened eyes that what she told him had been difficult for him to accept. Deciding to be casual she said, "So, you have yet to tell me about the conversation with Draco, when you two met. I was shocked that you two had already become friends by the time I arrived."

Harry seemed to cheer up, "Well, when I was shown into the fitting area he was already there, I knew by your description that it was him. He looked at me in kind of an odd way, but I think it was because I had this look of recognition on my face. So, I decided to do what you did when we met, and I walked up to shake his hand." He smiled before continuing, "After we exchanged names, he said he was there with his father who was currently talking to someone, and had left him alone. He asked who I was with. So, I told him my best friend, and how great it was that we grew up in the non-magic world not really knowing about the school, well except maybe you did because of your psychic predictions, and that we were surprised one day to both get our letters while hanging out after school."

With a look on her face, Hermione urged Harry to continue, so he did, "Well, he seemed surprised to hear that I was raised by muggles because he had heard of my family but let that issue drop. He then asked what house I hoped to be in… I think he said his family was always placed in Slything…no, Slytherin because it's mainly for Purebloods? I told him I had no idea and he just advised me to stay away from Hufflepuff because no one in there is ever taken seriously."

"You know Harry, I think I got just the right book that'll tell you more about that if you want to read it, I'll be right back." Hermione dashed out and quickly returned with a huge tome, "_Hogwarts: A History_ has everything you could ever need to know about the school. Go ahead and read it first, I already have a pretty good idea of what it has to say."

"Thank you Hermione, I'm anxious to read it," Harry said as he accepted the book.

"I'll let you start reading then, and we can talk more later." Hermione left to go back in her room, but remembered food for Crookshanks. After a quick trip to the kitchen, she returned with sliced ham for her favourite animal. She fed him out of her hand while they lounged on her bed.

_I need to refocus on my plan, here I got Crooks two years early but I completely forgot about Ron. I knew it'd be difficult to explain apparating this young to someone who grew up around magic. Oh, I don't know what to do. I guess we'll just see him on the train. I should also make sure that I find Neville so that he doesn't lose Trevor. At least Harry and I are on good terms with Draco. That has to be the most shocking thing yet. I guess that I can really make a big difference in the future. Just looking at Harry is proof, I remember he was such a skinny, sickly looking kid when I fixed his glasses but this time he looks healthy and is able to socialize because he has more confidence._

A month flew by quickly, Harry had been reading all of his books, and Hermione skimmed over hers while directing her mind more towards all that she needed to accomplish. Before either of them knew it, it was the day to leave for school. They both had their trunks packed by the night before and Hermione wandlessly shrunk them to fit in with a set of robes in the new book bags they received from Draco by owl post the week before. The bags had their names branded on the finest leather they'd ever find. Hermione noted that the bags had spells to hold more that it appeared capable of holding and there were cushioning charms on the straps. Of course, the note simply stated the gift was nothing, and reminded them to be ready on time.

"Well this is interesting," Hermione announced as she and Harry sat in the living room trying to pass the time. Her parents had left right after breakfast to attend church. They had plenty of time to get their pets into cages and carry them downstairs with their book bags.

"I know, huh? Less than 15 minutes left before we leave." Harry looked at Hermione before they burst into giggles.

"Have you decided which house you want to be in?" Hermione asked.

"Not really, I'm confident the hat will pick the correct one for me. What about you?" Harry inquired.

"I trust the hat as well," Hermione said with a smile, "But the most important thing, I think, is that we end up in the same house."

"I agree." Harry replied as they resumed staring off into space waiting for the knock on the door.

When the knock finally sounded, they both jumped up and rushed to get going. As soon as Hermione opened the door, Draco said, "I just need to warn you that while I was able to get my father to stay behind, my mother refused to miss this and is currently waiting in the car."

Harry replied, "That's fine with me, it'll be nice to meet her." Hermione smiled.

"All right, where are your trunks? I can get my mother to shrink them if you want."

"Oh, Hermione already took care of them, she's a whiz at things like that," Harry said, which caused Hermione to blush and the blush deepened when Draco looked impressed.

The meeting with Narcissa was interesting to say the least. The little conversation they had was strained. Everyone was greatly relieved when they had arrived at the train station. The three stood out for their lack of trunks. They easily boarded the train and found a cabin for themselves. As soon as they were settled, a young boy stuck his head in and asked if there was an empty seat. Hermione quickly welcomed him in and instructed Draco to help the boy with his trunk. Draco cast a quick questioning glance at her before shaking his head and helping the boy.

Once everyone was settled, the train started to leave and Hermione decided to break the ice. "That is an interesting pet you have there… Is it a toad?" She asked the boy.

"Yes, his name's Trevor and my name is Neville Longbottom." He replied with an anxious grin.

"It's nice to meet you Neville, I'm Hermione Granger, this here is Harry Potter," Hermione paused for dramatic effect, "and sitting next to you is Draco Malfoy."

Neville looked impressed to meet Harry buy wary of Draco. Draco spoke next, "Longbottom you say? How are your parents?"

It took Neville a moment to respond after his initial wide-eyed reaction, "They're doing as well as can be expected."

Draco replied, "Well, I sincerely hope they get better." Draco emphasized his statement by clapping Neville on his shoulder.

"Th-thanks" Neville said, looking uneasy.

"So, Neville what house do you hope to get into?" Hermione asked.

"It doesn't really matter, I'm just grateful to be here. My Gran feared for the longest time that I wouldn't get in," Neville answered.

"Well that's a positive way of looking at it. Harry and I are fine leaving it up to the hat to make a decision; we just want to be in the same house." Hermione supplied.

"I agree and you'll be called up first out of all of us with the name Granger. So, we can just convince the hat that we need to be with you." Draco joked.

Hermione stared for a second before she couldn't help herself. "Were you trying to be funny M-Mr. Malfoy?"

"No, I think it was funny, so I must have succeeded. I think it is you, _Miss_ Granger that does not understand humour," Draco retorted.

Harry and Neville exchanged glances before Harry broke in, "All right you two, that's plenty of that. How about we talk about classes? There's…"

Hermione and Draco said at the same time, "Astronomy, Charms, DADA, Herbology, History of Magic, Potions, and Transfiguration."

"What are you all looking forward to?" Harry asked.

Draco replied first, "DADA and Potions of course, since my Godfather teaches that subject."

"I think I'll like Herbology, since it doesn't require actual magic," Neville added.

"I like Charms and Transfiguration… I mean they sound the most interesting to me," Hermione said.

"What is your Godfather like Draco?" Harry asked instead of saying what classes he was interested in.

Draco laughed. "He is probably the most difficult instructor of them all. He expects a lot from his students. At family dinners, he has ranted about the students that cry in his class just because he tells them they did something stupid." Draco paused. "You really need to be prepared for his class beforehand, because a bad potion can be deadly. And you need to have the guts to hold your own against him because he isn't the nicest person in the world."

Hermione laughed, "Don't you think that is a bit of an understatement?"

Draco, acting shocked, replied, "Wow, you might have a sense of humour after all." This caused the cabin to fill with laughter.

Hours later, the train arrived, and they headed in the direction of Hagrid's voice. Hermione desperately wanted to run up to him and give him a hug, but knew she had already let too many things slip. The four quietly got on a boat and watched as they approached the castle. Inside, they met McGonagall who lectured all of the first years before marching them in to be sorted. This time, Hermione managed to stay quiet and wait for her turn.

As soon as the hat was placed on Hermione's head, she heard, "Very interesting… you are a powerful witch if you managed to turn back time. I see you were in Gryffindor and the brightest witch of your age. You helped defeat Voldemort and lived to have a family. All of your plotting makes you eligible for Slytherin but that won't do. There is no other choice…"

"RAVENCLAW!" the hat announced to the whole room.

_What? That can't be, you need to fix this right now you stupid hat!_ Hermione thought before it was picked up from her head and McGonagall nudged her to walk towards Ravenclaw. Hermione was in a daze. This wasn't going to help her plan in the least. She couldn't even force a smile onto her face as she sat down at the table. People were clapping her on the back and welcoming her to her new house. Soon, Neville was being sorted, and it took much longer that Hermione remembered. Neville started to sweat as he was obviously thinking very hard. The hat reluctantly spoke Ravenclaw, and Neville jumped up and ran to sit across from Hermione.

"Draco was right; we just needed to argue our case, and the hat eventually gave in. It said my arguments proved I met the bare requirements for this house!" Neville said ecstatically.

Draco Malfoy looked calm during his sorting. It only took a minute for the hat to proudly announce Ravenclaw. Draco strolled over to sit next to Hermione. "Fancy seeing you here," he said smugly.

"How did you get into this house?" Hermione asked Draco.

"I was given a choice between here and Slytherin. The hat asked again to make sure I didn't want Slytherin, and I didn't." Draco replied as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

It was finally Harry's turn and it only took 20 seconds for him to be sorted into Ravenclaw. Hermione cheered and clapped with all of her heart. Harry was grinning like mad, as he sat next to Neville and told Hermione, "I just repeated this house over and over in my mind and the hat simply gave in, said something about kids not letting it do its job."

Hermione felt her heart constrict when Ron was called. She felt so guilty that she never got a chance to talk with him. She had to remind herself that some lives were more important now than her future love life. The Headmaster still spoke his odd words before dinner was served and then everyone dug in.

Draco nudged Hermione and said, "Cheer up, we all got into the same house. We are much better off than most students who still have no clue what school is going to be like for them." Hermione forced a smile on her face and nodded.

After dinner, the quartet wondered up towards the fifth floor and found the tightly winding stairwell that led to the round door that only had a knocker on it.

Hermione knocked and backed away as the bronze eagle came to life. "First years I see, can anyone tell me what the N.E.W.T.s stands for?"

"Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test." Hermione, Draco, and Harry chimed in together.

"You three did very well, I welcome you all to Ravenclaw," the knocker said and it opened the door into the wide, airy, circular common room that was decorated with blue and bronze silk wall hangings, a blue rug with stars was on the floor, and the ceiling was domed with paintings of stars. All four looked around in awe before finding a place to sit and chat. They were talking and laughing by the time an older student with bright green hair approached them.

"Hello cousin, I wanted to welcome you and your friends to your new house," the girl said to Draco.

Draco looked at her few a few seconds while emotions played across his face, "Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to my cousin, Ny-"

"Tonks! Everyone calls me Tonks these days," she interrupted as her hair started turning purple.

"Tonks, this here is Hermione, Harry, and Neville," Draco continued as if he had not been interrupted.

Hermione jumped up and hugged Tonks, "It's so nice to meet you! I hope we can be friends, because as you can see I'm surrounded by men."

Tonks laughed, "Well, you'll be happy about that by the time you're my age. I'm in my seventh year and it just so happens that I'm head girl. So, feel free to seek me out if you ever need to chat with a female."

"I will do that," Hermione promised. After Tonks walked away, Hermione said, "Hey you guys, I'm going to go find my dorm and make sure I can resize my trunk. I'll be back down in a few minutes." When Hermione returned, she pulled her wand out from a special pocket in her pyjama bottoms and pointed it between Harry's eyes as she repaired his glasses. "Sorry, I had to do that; they've been bugging me for a while." She smiled sweetly and continued, "Shall I help you guys get your trunks resized? I should be able to go into your dorm room but guys can't go into the girls' room."

The guys agreed, and as they walked in, they met Terry Boot, Michael Connor, and Anthony Goldstein in the dorm. They had already started unpacking and remarked about Harry and Draco not having a trunk. Hermione walked in last and said, "That's why I'm here," with a somewhat superior smile. After Harry and Draco took their trunks out of their book bags and set them on the floor at the end of the bed, Hermione performed the spell with her wand, which impressed all but Harry and Draco.

"Get used to it - we've got one clever witch amongst us." Draco said in a bored tone as he examined his fingernails.

"Oh shut up, you." Hermione playfully slapped Draco's arm before jumping up on Harry's bed as if it was the most casual thing in the world. After noticing the stares from four of the men in the room, she said to them, "You guys better get used to me. Harry is like my younger brother. He's ten and a half months younger, and he even lived at my house this summer."

Neville finally spoke up, "Does this mean we have to change in the lavatory all the time if you might just walk in?"

Hermione shrugged, "It won't bother me as long as you keep your boxers on… I guess we'll just have to see how brave each of you is."

"She can be evil that one, I swear," Draco chimed in as Neville carried his nightclothes into his new 'dressing room.'

After a few minutes of unpacking, Harry and Draco both changed in that room, but Draco stared at Hermione almost defiantly as he changed. All Hermione could do was stare back with a smug smile on her face. Eventually she couldn't help herself, "Don't worry Draco, within a few years you should grow into your long arms and big pointy head," she taunted.

Draco laughed confidently, looking around at every man in the room, "You all are my witnesses, Hermione Granger can be one evil little girl."

Deciding it was time to leave for the night; she got up and slowly walked up to Draco and placed her palm on his chest. "Are you still going to call me evil when I'm no longer a little girl?" She asked in what would have been a seductive way if she still had her adult body.

Draco smirked, "I'll wait for you to grow up a bit and then I'll decide for myself." He picked her hand up off his chest and raised it to his lips to kiss while looking deeply in her eyes. "Goodnight, my love," he added with one eyebrow raised.

Hermione couldn't help herself as she pulled her hand away and lightly slapped him, "Why you cheeky prat!" She declared in frustration and stormed out. The sound of his laughter infuriated her as she slammed the door closed on her way out.

The next morning, Hermione was in the common room early waiting for the men to get up. Harry was the first to come down. He sat next to her and said, "Hermione, can I ask you something?"

"Sure Harry, what's up?" Hermione asked while closing the book she had been reading and then put it in her book bag.

It took Harry a moment to ask, "Is there something going on between you and Draco? The way you two acted last night was, well odd. Kids our age just don't act that way."

"I don't know Harry; he's just odd. I have some idea of how things are, and I even knew what Neville was going to be like before he said one word to us. I know Tonks is going to be a great friend, and she will marry someone in about six years that'll cause a number of raised eyebrows. I even know who you are going to marry; she was at the train station yesterday, and I can't wait to become friends with her." Hermione said in almost a complaining tone of voice.

"Ok, that is just odd. I don't need to know who I'm gonna marry; that is the last thing on my mind." Harry said.

"Well, you'll have some idea next year when you save her life," Hermione said reaching out for Harry's arm.

"Ooh, our resident seer is making predictions. Tell me, who am I going to marry?" Draco butted into the conversation as he walked into the room.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "I don't know, but who can predict the future of a man that would name his son Scorpius?" Her eyes went wide; she knew she had said too much.

"Scorpius is a great name!" Draco said, "I think I have some long dead relative with that name."

Hermione looked Draco in the eyes as she asked, "Are you for real?" She wasn't even aware that she was trying to read his thoughts until she saw images of a younger Draco.

"That is just plain rude Hermione; didn't anyone tell you to respect others' thoughts?" Draco chided.

Shocked, she asked, "How would you know?"

"My Godfather has done it to me in the past, but he usually requires the use of a spell," Draco explained.

Harry interrupted, "Wait, what are you two talking about? I'm lost."

Draco looked at Harry, "Does it ever seem like Hermione can just read your mind?"

"Well yeah, but I figure she just knows what I'm about to say." Harry answered in a confused tone.

"I'm impressed, Hermione Granger is holding out on her best friend." Looking at her, he asked, "Do you want to tell him or should I?"

Hermione took a deep sigh and looked at Harry, "Sometimes when I look a person in the eyes I seem to channel their thoughts, but I never know if what I get is real or just my imagination."

"That makes sense," Harry said, "I always knew you were talented."

"Perhaps we should try and schedule some training with my Godfather so you can learn how to control it?" Draco asked.

Hermione countered, "Perhaps Harry should be the one to get the training so he can protect his thoughts from me and anyone else who might do it since he seems to be unaware."

"That does sound like a good idea, are you interested, Harry?" Draco asked.

"Um, sure I guess. I would like to at least know what thoughts you are reading." Harry said as he noticed Neville heading down. "Well, it looks like it's time to go eat." He said, as he was relieved to have a way out of the conversation.

"Oh good, I can't wait to get our schedules and start our classes this morning," Hermione said as she cheered up at the thought of classes.

As the quartet neared the Great Hall, Draco spotted his Godfather and excused himself. Hermione watched carefully as Draco said something quietly to Professor Snape who looked over at the three before leading Draco back to his office. The remaining three walked into the Great Hall to find it nearly empty at this early hour. After they had served up their food, Professor Flitwick walked in and immediately went to introduce himself to his new students.

"Ah, Miss Granger, Mr. Potter, and Mr. Longbottom allow me to introduce myself. I am Professor Flitwick, your head of Ravenclaw. I happen to have your schedules right here." He paused as he handed them out, "I would just like to tell you Mr. Potter that I am very honoured to have you in my house, and I look forward to seeing you three in my Charms class this afternoon."

The three mumbled responses as they looked at their timetables. Hermione was the first to point out, "Double Potions every Monday morning, that won't always be the best way to begin our weeks. At least the next Potions class isn't until Friday morning"

"I'm just happy that we begin Tuesdays and Thursdays with Herbology," Neville added.

The three finished their meals before Draco returned. He didn't look too pleased and Professor Snape was scowling at the quartet as he walked up to the head table. No one in the room failed to notice the tension, and the room quieted down for a moment before talking resumed at a louder level.

"What happened?" Hermione questioned.

"I can't talk about it right now. I know we have double Potions next, so I need to fetch some things out of the dorm." Draco replied as he got up to leave.

Hermione turned to Harry who had a questioning look in his eye, "Stay with Neville, I'm going to follow Draco and try to find out what happened." Hermione left the Great Hall and ran to catch up with Draco. She didn't even catch sight of him until she entered the common room and saw him going up the stairs to his dorms. Without a second thought, Hermione followed him in, and when she saw the room was empty save for Draco, she closed the door.

"Would you stop pacing for a moment to tell me what is going on? By now, I'm sure everyone knows that something happened between you two." Hermione pushed.

Draco stopped and looked at her. "I just thought that since we knew where his loyalties lie that he could be a help. I explained what happened and why we wanted him to teach Harry how to shield his mind." He sat down on his trunk in a defeated manner. "Well, he flew off the handle and called me a number of things, but basically said I was the stupidest person to ever walk the planet."

Hermione was confused, "I'm sorry, you lost me there…"

Draco looked up at her with a sneer, "Oh would you cut the fucking act Granger! We both know your acting skills aren't worth shit."

"How dare you talk to me like that Malfoy!" Hermione yelled before running out of steam. "Wait, did you just call me by my last name?"

Draco let out a hollow sounding laugh, "Boy, for the smartest witch of our generation you really are slow at times… perhaps you should cast some wards and a silencing charm if we are going to have this conversation." After she did so, he continued, "Can you honestly tell me that you haven't figured out yet that I was your client? That I hired you to create that spell? I was sure you knew something because you said 'Oh, shit' when I grabbed onto you as you cast the spell."

Upon hearing his words, Hermione lost all sense of the outside world as she suddenly charged towards Draco and landed one good underhanded punch to his chest that knocked him backwards onto the bed. As she climbed up to hit him, again, he managed to flip them both and had her pinned beneath him. When she could no longer express her emotional pain by attacking him, she began to cry and talk at the same time. Draco could only understand bits and pieces about being born again and missing her kids. He knew it was now time to comfort her and he let go of her, they both sat up and he moved to hug her when she got another blow in, this time to his shoulder.

"Son of a bitch!" Draco took a deep calming breath, "You sure know how to hit, and I've got to give you that." That caused Hermione to crack a smile, so Draco continued, "Now that you've vented your anger, can I explain my side?" She nodded. "My mother and I came up with the idea together. We knew that if I could change a few things in my early years at school we could save Severus and Dumbledore as well as others that I'm sure you care about. That's why I knew I needed to become friends with Harry, and it'll be easy to keep my father happy for the time being because I had originally been instructed to befriend him in the past."

"So, as you know, we hired you and I snuck into your office to monitor your progress. I knew you were close to completion at the train station, so I followed you home and simply waited. I didn't know if you'd come back this far in time or what. I woke up the morning that I met you and Harry at Diagon Alley, and it was obvious that you managed to change a few things already. Now, what was this you were saying about being born again?" Draco asked.

After a deep sniff, Hermione said, "I went back to the moment I was born. Just because I thought I was going to die and I pictured everyone I knew of that had died. It so happens that my last living grandparent died when I was a day old. He came to visit me in the hospital not even an hour after I was born." She looked at him deeply before finally saying, "How could you get me involved with this without asking me first? I've been mourning the loss of my kids for nearly twelve years now."

"Granger, don't you know anything about souls? Those who are supposed to come into your life always find a way. So you'll have your kids again in the future and so will I. They don't even need to be born at the same time or to the same set of parents." Draco said and then tried to put a comforting arm around her shoulders, as he couldn't seem to move the arm she had hit.

Eventually Hermione pulled herself together and said, "I guess I forgive you, and I think we should work together from now on to make sure everything goes right." She looked down at her watch and jumped up in a panic, "Oh my god! We're late for Potions! We're late for the very first class on the very first day of our very first year!"

"Granger, don't you realize that we have a perfect excuse, and the instructor happens to be my Godfather. As angry as he is, I'm sure we'll be able to work something out." Draco said in a calm voice.

"Perfect excuse? What the hell kind of excuse do we have? That we needed to have a heart to heart before we could face the big bad world of potion making?" She asked, still hysterical.

"No… you need to take me to the hospital wing, because I'm pretty sure I have a dislocated shoulder and probably some broken ribs. I guess I should at least thank you for not breaking my nose this time." Draco finished with a chuckle.

Hermione put her hand over her mouth, "I am so sorry Draco. What can I do to help? Can you walk or should I get Madame Pomphrey to come here?"

"Breathe Granger, just breathe." Draco said, "I think I can make it there, but it'd be a help if you could take my book bag so we can head straight to class after I get fixed up."

Draco and Hermione made it to the hospital wing without a problem, however Madame Pomphrey looked sceptical in response to Draco's excuse that it was an accident as they rushed to get some things for class from their dorms and make it to class on time. It took some time to fix Draco's shoulder, and only a potion could help his bruised ribs. By the time she was done, she wrote a note excusing them from class, and advised the two to wait until the class was over to walk in and give their note to Professor Snape. Apparently, three first years were tardy to their first class last year and received a month's detention for disturbing his well-known speech.

A while later, they were waiting outside the classroom when the door opened and students started filling out. Hermione and Draco prepared to walk into the classroom, but were stopped by Harry and Neville who were visibly worried. "Draco had an accident, and I had to take him to the hospital wing. He'll be fine. We just need to see Professor Snape, and then we'll meet up with you two at lunch." Hermione assured them.

As Hermione and Draco walked in, Professor Snape looked up and said, "You two, my office, right this instant."

Once the three of them were in the office and the proper spells had been performed, Draco handed over the note. "Sir, as you can see, I had an injury, which is why we did not make it to class. I apologize."

The professor looked appraisingly at Draco before critically observing Hermione. "Is this the girl you mentioned earlier?"

"Yes, Sir." Draco replied.

"And I assume she is now aware of everything," Snape waited for Draco's head nod. "Very well, Miss Granger it appears that you have a good arm. I do hope you were able to smack some sense into him."

"I tried Sir," Hermione said with a very slight smile.

"What do you plan to do now?" He asked.

Hermione hesitated for a second. "Well, sir, I'd like to prevent a few deaths. I don't want Voldemort to order Draco to kill Dumbledore again because his mother convinced you to make an unbreakable vow that resulted in you killing Dumbledore in our sixth year. And, well… I really don't want to see you die again." Hermione's eyes began to water, "It was so difficult to find out you remained loyal to Lily after you had died because even Voldemort thought you were his most loyal servant. It took Harry a long time to come to grips with that fact but he named his son Albus Severus.

"It really would be best if you could teach Harry Occlumency because Voldemort will come back at the end of our fourth year and will eventually learn to manipulate the connection he has with Harry's scar to his advantage. You were asked to teach Harry in fifth year, but refused to do so after he somehow viewed memories of you being taunted by James. I've told Harry for the past three years that I was a seer and I know he won't believe that for much longer, but I don't believe it is best to let him in on our secret until his mind is safe.

"Sir, I do understand this was not the wisest thing to do because there is no guarantee that we will win against Voldemort again, but I am sure we can still have the most important events happen, and we already know what the Horcruxes are and how to destroy them. It is too late to turn back now because Harry and Draco were enemies in the past and it fuelled the feud between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Finally, I'd like to point out that it is best to side with us because I know exactly what has to happen, and Dumbledore was only able to guess and kept you in the dark until the last possible moment."

The Professor finally interrupted Hermione's babbling, "Very well Miss Granger, I will consider what you have said. However, I believe it is best if you both got some lunch. Remember, I expect you both in all of your classes from now on, not just mine. It does not matter if you originally received ten O's on your O.W.L.s, I expect you two to be at the top of your class."

Draco and Hermione left to meet their friends and have a quick bite of lunch. Before arriving in the Great Hall, they agreed to meet in the room of requirement regularly, starting after their next class in order to discuss important matters, which they could not afford to have anyone overhear. When they took their seats, Hermione simply told Harry and Neville they'd share the details of their meeting with Professor Snape later as they had Charms in a few minutes. However, as soon as Charms ended, they fled to the room of requirement before Harry could even say a word to them.

**Thank you for reading and don't forget to review!**


	6. The Little Things Give You Away

**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and events from one of my favourite authors, the great J.K. Rowling.

**NOTE** You can view my LJ for updates; the link is on my author page.

Chapter 6: The Little Things Give You Away

When Hermione and Draco walked into the Room of Requirement, it looked very similar to Hermione's office. However, it contained another overstuffed chair, and this one was upholstered in a green Italian silk. They both took their seats and simply stared at one another with amused expressions.

Finally, Hermione spoke. "Did you see the look on Harry's face? I'm not going to be able to keep this from him for long. I'm afraid that I'll have to tell him something as soon as I see him tonight."

"Granger, this is just stupid; anyone could find out what's going on if Potter finds out." Draco leaned back in his chair.

"Well, for now we just have to worry about Dumbledore and he isn't even that good. He actually relies on the portraits to gather most of his information. I can just acknowledge to Harry that something is going on and encourage him to learn how to shield his mind so that he can be included on this whole secret. I'll also tell him to not look Dumbledore in the eye."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever… I don't imagine you'd even listen to me if I ordered you not to tell Potter."

Hermione was offended. "Why you insufferable little…"

"GRANGER!" Draco yelled before resuming a kinder tone of voice, "Look we need to learn to work together and I understand all of this sexual tension is difficult especially being that we are in such young bodies right now. It'll just lead to frustration."

Hermione let out a dry laugh. "Oh please, I still very much love Ronald and would never consider sleeping with you. That's just beneath me."

"Fine, whatever…" Draco gritted his teeth.

With a smug smile, Hermione teasingly said, "You've already said that".

"Mature… very mature Granger," Draco smirked. "I'd expect someone who's lived nearly fifty years to have the maturity of someone at least thirty. But no, you have to act like a spoiled five year old. I honestly don't know which I prefer; the insecure know it all or what I've got sitting in this room with me," Draco finished with a hand gesture indicating her presence.

Hermione straightened her posture, "Fine, I'll be myself. I simply thought it'd be easier to maintain a lighter tone. And, in case you forgot, I've had almost 12 years to perfect the art of acting the age of my body. I'm able to remember the instant I wake up because it is a shock to no longer feel the lasting effects of your dear Aunt Bella's caring touch."

Draco advanced on her so fast that she leaned as far back as the chair would allow her without realizing it and found herself gasping for air. Draco braced his hands on the arms of the chair and loomed over her, "You want to go there now, do you Granger?" Draco's eyes had become clouded with emotion, "I did everything I could that day to save you and your friends! Don't you know that I didn't even fight Potter when he tackled me to get the wands? You earned my respect back in third year but I was unable to express it… That was the last thing I ever wanted to witness. I've struggled to live with myself after everything that happened in that year… This plan was only created after I found out not only was I unable to kill anyone else but I couldn't even kill myself."

Realization dawned on Hermione and after a moment, she reached out to him and pulled him into a hug. She had no idea what to do but comfort him the way she would comfort one of her own children. Neither noticed the chair morphing into a love seat but soon they were sitting side by side, as they held onto one another. In that moment, they unknowingly reached a level of understanding that would allow them to work together and build a friendship. After a few minutes, they separated and began to talk about the past; they shared some laughs about things that originally happened in school that now seemed impossible.

"I can't believe you began to respect me just because I punched you in the face," Hermione laughed. "I really am not a violent person; in all my fifty years, you are the only person that I've hit."

"Well, I'll consider myself honoured." Draco shifted to slip one arm around Hermione's shoulders and she leaned her head on his shoulder. "If anything, I consider it a turn on because no one else in my entire life has treated me like an equal. I was either looked down upon or held up to be a great Malfoy."

"Well, I'm sure Harry will treat you the same way when he gets to know you. But I know he doesn't swing that way, so I advise you to keep your hands off him… Draco," Hermione said in a light tone.

"Thank you, Hermione." Draco rested his cheek on her head.

She looked at him. "For what?"

"For calling me by my first name; it's the first time that you said it nicely while we were being ourselves."

"Does this mean that you'll stop calling me Granger?"

"I can't promise anything. I happen to like your name. I might take it myself when we get married." He acted as if he were commenting on the weather.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "That'll be the day…"

"You don't believe me do you? I'm serious." He turned to look her in the eyes, "Don't you think it's odd that you have yet to say one word to Weasley? You claim you love him but you didn't even glace at him in Charms class. I saw how he treated you and if there's one thing I know, it's that he has no idea how to properly treat a woman."

Hermione patted Draco on the knee as she stood up, "We'll talk about this later. I think you need some rest and I need to have a talk with Harry." Hermione grabbed their book bags and handed Draco his before leading the way out of the room and back to their common room. When they walked in, they found Harry sitting alone with a book. Hermione took a seat. "Where's Neville?"

Closing the book, Harry looked up at the two of them. "Oh, he decided to go hang out with the other guys in our dorm, so I decided to get an early start on my reading. Where have you two been?"

Hermione took Harry's book. "I'll show you." Then she turned to Draco. "Do you mind taking the book and my bag up to your dorm for now?" He accepted them and walked off. "Come on, Harry." She pulled on Harry's arm. "We don't have much time to waste before dinner."

Harry watched Hermione curiously as she paced back and forth in front of the Room of Requirement. Finally, the door appeared. "Allow me to welcome you to the Room of Requirement." They walked in and it now looked like her parents' living room. "What's so cool about this room is that it can be almost anything that you want it to be. As I was pacing I thought we needed a familiar environment in which to chat."

"Interesting," Harry said blandly. "Now, would you like to tell me what is going on?"

Hermione sat down. "Believe me Harry, I want to tell you everything. I know you are very perceptive and I don't want you to feel left out."

"But," he continued in the same bland tone of voice.

"Well, we need you to take Occlumency lessons with Professor Snape first. Believe me, this is something big and we can't risk having anyone find out by reading your mind. I know you probably think you could manage right now and that it can't be that serious but it is. If you want, I can probably demonstrate just how vulnerable you are."

"That sounds fair enough. Prove it to me." He crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Hermione stood up, took out her wand, and said, "_Legilimens!_"

Harry was surprised to have so many past memories suddenly come to mind. Hermione ended the connection before she arrived at the memory of his parents deaths; she didn't think he was ready to delve into that yet. They both sat down and Harry was finally able to ask, "What was that?"

"That, Harry, was me breaking into your mind to view any memory I desired and you had no way to shut me out. Eventually, you'll learn to build a barrier and make only the memories you choose available to others. If you want I can reverse the connection and show you my barrier and then I'll let you see a few things that I keep from others." He nodded, so she turned toward Harry and folded her legs up so she could concentrate on the task at hand. When she felt prepared, she once again performed the spell.

This time, Harry saw a young Hermione playing with her blocks while her parents paid no attention to her, then he saw her at primary school as all the kids avoided her, and then he saw the two of them entering Diagon Alley. Harry was taken by surprise as he felt himself being pulled in deeper. Now he saw Hermione fixing his glasses on the train when she introduced herself but this Hermione was not as nice and had frizzier hair. Then he saw Hermione punch Draco, who was with two heavy set Slytherins and even Draco was wearing Slytherin robes. Finally, he saw a scene that lasted longer; a man with dark hair and a woman with red hair were saying goodbye to their son James at the train station, then Hermione ended the connection.

"Do you know what the last three were?" Hermione asked.

"Well, the first one had us but it didn't make any sense, the second had you hitting Draco, who was in Slytherin robes, and I have no idea what the third was." Harry answered.

Hermione answered with a smile, "They were from an alternate reality. That's how I knew to meet you years ago and how I knew we couldn't allow Draco to become our enemy. The third was you and your wife sending your first born son to Hogwarts." Harry looked surprised so Hermione continued, "You see Harry, I know what's going to happen in the future and I need to let you in on the plans to change things but I can't do so until your mind is secure because so many lives depend on this." Hermione started to cry from the weight of the responsibility on her and due to her exhaustion.

Harry tried to comfort her and distract her. "Shush, it's all right Hermione, why don't you tell me what kept you and Draco from getting to class this morning."

Hermione laughed and sobbed at the same time. Finally, she said, "I punched him…twice… and then had to take him to the hospital wing because I dislocated his shoulder."

Harry shook his head. "And why would you punch him?"

After a sniffle, she said, "I thought all along it had been my fault that I knew these things but he admitted to me that he was partly responsible and that he knew about all of these things as well. And well, I just lost control because I was so angry with him. But after I calmed down and he explained his side of the story we came to an understanding."

"And that's why Snape lost his temper this morning? Draco told him about it?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, he actually seemed happy that I tried to, quote, 'smack some sense into him', end quote. By the way, how did he treat you during class, as I wasn't there to try to answer his questions? I regret missing his lecture about bewitching the mind and ensnaring the senses."

"Oh, I got them all correct. Well… except for the last one but it wasn't covered in the textbook. He said there might still be hope for me yet, if I took after my mother instead of my father." Harry finished, sounding puzzled.

"Ah, that's because he loved your mum for years and was taunted by your father and his friends. He especially hated your father for rescuing him the one time he almost died. But he and your mum had an argument that they never got over and she ended up with your father. So, in a way you serve as a reminder to him of what he lost by speaking one wrong word," Hermione sleepily supplied as her eyes started to close.

In a soft voice, Harry asked, "And how do you know that?"

"Snape gave you his memories when he was dying; remember he wanted to look at your eyes because they're just like Lily's, before he died."

"When did this happen again?" He knew he was pressing his luck.

"Seventh year… you should remember… you're not even forty, you can't be going senile." Hermione mumbled as she fell asleep.

Harry thought over what she had said for a while before finally looking around for the time. A clock appeared on the wall and he saw it was ten minutes past dinner. Harry nudged Hermione and said, "Hermione, you need to wake up. We are late for…"

Hermione jumped up, "I'm up, I'm up… what are we late for?"

"Dinner," he started steering her out the door and walked with her to the Great Hall. Hermione took a seat next to Draco and Harry paused at Draco's side to say, "We need to talk after dinner," before he took his seat on Hermione's other side.

Draco leaned over to Hermione. "Why does Potter want to talk with me now?"

"I don't know. I fell asleep and I don't really know anything right now. I think I tried to do too much magic too soon," Hermione said with a sleepy half smile.

Draco looked Hermione in the eyes and soon saw all the confirmation that he needed. "That's it; you're not fit to be around anyone right now." He got up, went over to Harry's side, and said, "Do you know where to meet us?" Harry nodded, so Draco said, "I'm taking her there right now; meet us when you're done eating." He moved over to Hermione, "Ok, I need you to pull yourself together and stand up so we can walk out of here." Hermione slowly complied.

Draco got Hermione up to the Room of Requirement and helped her climb into a bed that appeared. He barked, "Elf!" and a house elf appeared to whom Draco said, "Please bring me two dinners and desserts." He figured that he needed to get at least one full meal for the day and sat down to eat when the elf reappeared with food. Harry arrived a few minutes after Draco had finished his dinner.

"What's with the food?" Harry asked.

"Well, I actually needed to eat, and I'm sure Hermione will want to eat once she wakes up in a few hours. Now, what did you want to talk about?"

Harry looked Draco in the eye. "I want to know how you two managed to turn back time."

With a dramatic sigh, Draco said, "I can't believe she told you after I specifically told her not to."

"Well, she didn't, so relax. I guessed and you just confirmed it for me," Harry was quite proud of himself. "I've noticed all these little things over the years and I just finally put them together."

"You don't know anything specific then?" Draco asked.

"Well, I know she's punched you at least three times, you probably still hate me like your Godfather, and I'm going to name my son James." Harry paused, "Oh yeah, you named your son Scorpius?"

"Yes, get over it. And I don't hate you. We grew to respect each other over the years." Pausing to look back at Hermione's sleeping body, he continued, "I guess while we are here I should start teaching you the exercises to shield your mind. I'm not able to do too much magic yet, but I think Hermione's proved it'll take us both sometime to build up our strength.

Three hours later, Harry was asleep in his own bed, exhausted by the exercises, and Draco was sitting in his chair staring off into space when he heard Hermione start to shift around and then yawn. Draco went to sit on the edge of Hermione's bed and check on her. "How's my sleeping beauty?"

She let out a baffled chuckle while rubbing her eyes. "What time is it? And why are we back here?"

"Well you gave away our secret to Harry and fell asleep on him. So he said he wanted to have a chat with me after dinner when you two arrived. After a minute, I realized you were completely oblivious and weren't even protecting your thoughts so I brought you back up here. By the way, there's dinner on the table if you're hungry. And I started training Harry until he couldn't stay conscious anymore. Oh, it's late, probably after curfew," Draco said.

"Urgh," she moaned, "I just want more sleep." She grabbed his arm and rolled over, pulling Draco with her.

Draco remained in the awkward position he was in for a moment while looking around. "Hey, can I have my arm back just for a minute? Then it's all yours." She let him go. He kicked off his shoes, undid his tie, and took off his uniform shirt, leaving just his undershirt. Then he proceeded to lie next to Hermione and give her back his arm.

Harry was the first to wake up the next morning. He looked around after putting on his glasses and discovered Draco and Hermione sleeping together in the literal sense, not the figurative sense. Checking the time, he knew he had to wake them up and the three of them needed to sneak back into their dorms. He then noticed a door appear and decided to find what was on the other side. He was shocked to find the Ravenclaw common room on the other side. He quickly rushed over to Draco and Hermione to wake them up and get them into the common room.

As Professor Snape wrapped up the final class of the first week, he announced, "Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, and Mr. Malfoy, please see me after class." Once the rest of the class had left, he looked at Draco and Hermione and continued, "I have decided to teach Mr. Potter about the topic we discussed at the beginning of this week." Turning to Harry, he said, "Be here tonight at 8pm sharp for, shall we consider it, detention".

A look of fear crossed Harry's face as Draco and Hermione expressed their gratitude. After a quick lunch, the trio agreed to study in the Room of Requirement until it was time for dinner. However, studying was more a discussion between Draco and Hermione, who only required a quick review on the topics. They made sure that Harry comprehended everything well because they wanted to ensure that he'd be thoroughly prepared for anything that Voldemort would throw his way. All three also spent time practicing spells to build their magical strength. When Harry went to serve his "detention", Hermione and Draco went back to the Room of Requirement.

Draco was the first to speak when they entered the secure room. "Hermione, don't you think we're spending too much time in here? I'm sure people are starting to notice we are never around outside of classes and meals."

Hermione's frustration was evident, "Look, I just wanted to make sure that we were on the same page, so to speak. I figure if we need to discuss something between just the two of us, we should do it here while Harry is in his Occlumency lessons because he won't feel left out."

"Okay, what do we need to discuss right now?" Draco asked.

"Well, I believe that we should continue to study in here because others might think our way of studying is not quite right. But, for right now, I wanted to touch on the plan I've had in my mind and see if there was anything in the near future we needed to make each other aware of. The major things that will happen this year are the troll in the bathroom on Halloween and Professor Quirrell trying to get the Philosopher's Stone later on. I also want to befriend Hagrid and the Weasleys because Hagrid is going to have a Dragon egg hatch and it will need to be taken to Romania by Charlie and his co-workers."

"All right, I'll be there to help with the troll and the stone when the time comes. You can have fun getting to know Hagrid on your own," he said, purposely avoiding mention of the Weasleys. "Although I have to ask, are you going to be able to prevent your slip ups? It didn't take Harry long to figure things out and we can't have anyone else figuring out what is going on between us."

Hermione gave Draco a scathing look, "Yes, it's just taking me some time to get accustomed to being back in the wizarding world. It was easy for years not having anything trigger my memory. And then when Harry started coming over we had non-magical things to talk about like current events and literature as well as our dissatisfaction with our families. So, I just have to get used to staying quiet when I am reminded of something or I realize something I never knew."

"Granger, let's just make sure you don't let anything else slip," Draco chided. "What else did you wish to discuss?"

Hermione looked up at Draco. "Could you please tell me what you have told your Godfather?"

After a pause, he said, "Well, I told him that, with your help, we went back in time to change a few things that went wrong in the fight against the Dark Lord. I proved it by mentioning something he told me after we fled the castle when he killed Dumbledore. He wasn't happy that we'd take a chance like that but I told him you had no idea beforehand and that I was only fairly sure that you came back this far as well."

"But I actually went back further," she interrupted.

"As I was saying," he continued, "He was just concerned about a number of things. However, I believe he will accept everything with time. I don't want him to find out too much because we need him to do the same things he did before. I believe he will be kinder to you this time around as you aren't going to annoy him as much and you and Harry are now his Godson's closest friends."

"Oh, we are so blessed."

"You bet your ass," he quickly replied in a smug tone.

Hermione let out a little laugh before she slipped into a more serious mode. "I also want to make sure that your father gives Tom Riddle's diary to Ginny when we all buy our supplies next summer. It is imperative that she opens the Chamber because it will set a number of things in motion."

"I'll make sure she gets it one way or another, even if I have to steal it from him."

"Thank you." She nibbled on her lip. "How do you plan to deal with your father?"

"Well, he instructed me before we went shopping that I should make friends with Potter because I needed to make the 'right kind of friends'. So, I'll keep him happy as long as possible and give him deceptive reports on how Harry is developing. Eventually he'll demand something of me, which I will refuse to do; when that time comes, I will just need to get my mother into hiding."

"I'll help you find a place for her to stay, when the time comes." Hermione went to give Draco a hug. "Now what do you say we go wait for Harry in the dorms? I'm sure I can find a book I'd like to read from the common room bookshelves."

Draco was surprised when he figured out that Hermione actually wanted to wait in the boys' dorm instead of the common room. As soon as they picked books to read, she told him to take them up to his room while she went to change into her nightclothes. When she walked in, she simply took a seat on Draco's bed and read her book quietly, occasionally glancing at the time. Eventually the four other boys came in and commented on her presence, but she ignored them. Draco had to explain to them that they were waiting for Harry to get back from detention with Snape. It wasn't until nearly one in the morning when Harry stumbled into the dorm and found Draco to be the only one who was still awake.

"Why is Hermione sleeping in your bed?"

"She wanted to see how your evening went but I guess it got to be too late for her."

Harry started to undress. "It was all right, just took forever and now I have a headache. All I want to do is sleep."

"Well, goodnight then." Draco sat both his and Hermione's books on the nightstand and snuggled up to Hermione to get some sleep.

Hermione was woken up by the sound of someone else in the dorm getting up and getting into the shower.

'_It's the weekend; I can allow myself some time to wake up before I get out of bed. And the bed feels just perfect this morning; I wish I felt like this every morning.'_

She stretched and rolled over. "I knew it was too fucking good to be true."

"Look who's finally awake," Draco said with a sleepy chuckle. "Good morning, beautiful. What do you plan to do today?"

"I don't know," she closed her eyes to think for a moment. "I think I'd like to try and visit Hagrid; I'll ask Harry to go with me and you're welcome to tag along if you'd like."

"Nah, I think I'll take the time to write my mother and visit with my Godfather. But thanks for the offer."

"Oh, how did Harry's night go? I fell asleep before he got back, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did and he was really out of it when he got back, at about one. We basically just said goodnight to each other."

"Ah, maybe I should let him sleep in for a while then. But, I'm anxious to find out how it went because I want him to master this as soon as possible."

"I'm pretty sure that he will have it done within a few months tops if he gets weekly lessons. We'll be able to help him as well once our magic strengthens."

"That's good." Hermione pulled the covers up further and unconsciously snuggled up closer to Draco.

"So, are you looking forward to flying lessons next week?" He flashed a wicked smile.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Please, I hate that class almost as much as Divination."

"Well, do you think we want Harry to get onto the Quidditch team this time?"

"I think it's best if he waits until next year to tryout." (I think it was a great boost to Harry's confidence/ego to make it onto the Quidditch team so young and take after his father, so I think it was important for his personal growth, etc. I think you should follow canon on this one and have him join Quidditch early.

"All right, I know what to buy him for his next birthday, but I am not quite sure what to buy you for yours."

"Oh, don't worry; no one ever buys me anything for it."

"That is just unacceptable in my book. And, now that we are friends, I'll be expecting something from you and Harry in June."

"You prat, you shouldn't expect anything."

"Well, I was just figuring that Harry should expect to leave his relative's house every year for his birthday. I'll even arrange for him to be picked up if you want."

"That is very kind of you and I'm sure he will appreciate it." She was becoming aware that there was an uneasy silence growing between them.

Finally, Draco said, "Hermione, you need to learn to just relax. It is a nice morning and we are cuddled up here in a nice warm bed after a good night of sleep." He rolled onto his back. "In fact, I'd like to get some more sleep because some of us have only had six hours. Now, why don't you be a good girl and get closer to keep me warm?" He pulled her arm across his torso and left her no option but to rest her head on his chest. "See, that's perfect," he mumbled as he started to fall back asleep.

She whispered to herself, "Perfect, just perfect… but I guess I have nothing better to do until Harry wakes up." She was unable to see the smile that crossed Draco's face.

Two hours later, Harry finally woke up and put on his glasses; he could see Draco and Hermione were the only ones left in the room. He laughed when he saw the look on Hermione's face.

"Don't you dare laugh, I'm not in this position by choice," she attempted to have an authoritative tone of voice.

Draco surprised her by saying, "Oh but baby, you seemed happy all night long." He then had to grab her arm and pin her underneath him before she could hurt him again.

"That's it, I can't stand watching this anymore, I'm getting a shower," Harry interjected.

Draco laughed and watched Harry walk out before returning his attention to Hermione. "Are you ever going to stop trying to abuse me?"

"I don't know. Are you ever going to stop being such a jerk?"

"I guess it all depends on how long you are going to try to ignore the chemistry that we have."

She struggled against Draco. "We don't have any chemistry! Would you just give it a freaking break?"

He lowered himself so there were only a few millimetres between their faces and looked deep into her eyes. "Are you so sure about that?" He pulled back enough to glance at her lips every few seconds in order to create the tension. After a moment, she reached up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Then, he let go of her and allowed her to get up, "See, that's all I want for now, for you to acknowledge there is something between us. I can wait a few years for anything serious to happen." She merely nodded and walked out of the room.

When Harry reappeared, he asked, "What happened?"

Draco had a smile on his face and a faraway look in his eyes, "We kissed and then she went to go get ready, I think."

"All right, what's the plan for today?"

"You two are going to visit with Hagrid and I'm going to visit with my Godfather." Draco said coming back to reality, "I should warn you that she might act odd today. It's going to be hard for her to overcome our history."

Hermione had been standing right outside the door and decided it was time that she finally got ready for the day. By the time she got out of the shower, she had worked herself into a right fit.

'_The nerve of that guy, getting me to kiss him! I'm not even 12 yet and he's probably just thinking that it's been about six weeks since he last had sex. And what the hell does he mean by waiting a few years for anything serious? By second year I heard rumours that he was sleeping around so I know he can't possibly consider sex to be anything serious.'_

When Hermione was finally ready for the day, she went down to the common room and found Harry reading yet another book. "Are you ready to go? I want to make a quick stop so we can discuss last night."

"Sure, let's go… Draco already left to see Professor Snape." He got up and they walked in silence to the ROR.

Once inside, she inquired, "How did your lesson go last night?"

"It was all right, he and I talked about a few issues to clear them out of the way and then we practiced for about four hours. Once I was able to throw him out of my mind he called it a night and told me to go back tonight."

"It sounds like you're making some good progress, I'm very happy to hear that. Did he say how long he thought it'd take?"

"One to three months most likely," Harry replied. "Do you want to tell me what exactly is happening with you and Draco? I've seen you two sleep together twice in one week and…"

Hermione blushed, "… and he told you we kissed this morning." She took a deep breath, "He and I might eventually become a couple. But it is very important that you know I love you very much in a brotherly way," she said as she gave Harry a hug. "Now, I want us to go meet with Hagrid, he's the groundskeeper and was the person who originally told you that you were a wizard because your family refused to allow you to open your letter."


End file.
